Ditching The Idea Of Dieting

As I sit here, eating the steel cut oatmeal (sweetened with grade B maple syrup) I threw in my rice cooker while I prepared lunches for the boys and entertained baby Mademoiselle, I’m pondering this idea of exercise and having to create a diet plan in an effort to return to my pre-pregnancy weight, minus two, of 115 pounds. Through this process, I’ve discovered that three years of overindulging in foods that were, at some point in my life, on my forbidden list is not an easy habit to break.

Since I wrote My Road to Recovery, I’ve struggled with the whole notion of dieting. The first couple of days were rough. I often reverted back to my favorite, bread smothered in butter. Though I was able to recover, I told myself that this was going to be hard and I had no clue where to start, which prompted me to buy Bob Greene’s The Best Life Diet(which I have still yet to open), thinking it would help me sort this whole diet thing out. I also purchased Harvey Walden’s Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp workout DVD. Now, I don’t know what made me think that after a year of not exercising that I would be able to complete thirty minutes at the advanced level. My son tried to encourage me, “You can do it, mommy.” But, for some reason his cheers only ticked me off as I struggled to complete the workout. Ladies, this is a serious exercise program, and I recommend you start at the beginner’s level.

Where was I… Oh, yes. I’m aware that the experts say you don’t have to cut out the bad stuff completely, instead they suggest portion control since it almost guarantees a win the game of weight loss. On the contrary, I have to cut sweets totally out because I am incapable of controlling portions when it comes to delectable delights. I can’t eat sweet things in moderation because I simply don’t have the will power to do so. If I bake a box of Trader Joe’s yummy chocolate chip cookies, I will eat all sixteen cookies, and not even feel guilty.

I should explain that I began eating junk food to soothe the sadness I felt while living in Michigan, then as a food of convenience once I returned to California because I no longer had the time to prepare meals. I must also tell you that I do continue to buy a large portion of my groceries at Wholefoods Market; therefore, my diet is not as unhealthy as you may think except for the freely partaking of bread with lots of butter, ice cream, cakes, and cookies. I still will not eat beef or pork, and only occasionally consume fried and fast foods; nonetheless, this is so far from the health freak I used to be.

So, I started thinking about the things I did before that allowed me to maintain a size 4 without effort. I have come to the realization that it was all about living a healty lifestyle and doing things that were going to benefit my body, mind, and soul for years to come. Every year, I would go on a cleanse to purify and detox my system. I juiced a healthy concoction of carrots, spinach, beets, and apples or oranges and ginger. Fast food was a no-no and so was junk food. I often included fresh fish, tofu, veggies, and grains in my diet. I was a walking and breathing health machine; as a result, I would frequently receive advice calls from family members wanting to know what to eat in order to cure certain ailments.

Given all of what I’ve just mention, for me and you living a healthy lifestyle should be the goal which makes it a little easier, rather then thinking in terms of diet. This plan will ensure success in not only losing, but also maintaining an ideal weight. Please don’t forget that a least 30 minutes a day of cardio and 20 minutes of resistance training is also a major component in scaling back the pounds.